The School of Sass This month we spoke to Loriane Mbayo, the founder of the platform Woman To Woman to talk about how she balances her day job and the empowerment platform.
What made you decide to set up Woman to Woman?
It was a God calling, I always felt like there was this idea of womanhood that was a one size fits all, there wasn’t clear honest conversation around the good, bad, and ugly that was attached to this journey, and based on my life experiences I wanted a space where we could host these conversations in an honest way with like and unlike-minded women, there’s power in shared experiences.
How do you manage your time between your day job, overseeing Woman to Woman, and hosting the podcast? Whilst of course ensuring you don’t get burnt out?
I think the main way I have done this is by delegation, having a team has been the biggest blessing to the growth and expansion of the brand. Being able to have people who can be your eyes when you don’t have the capacity to do certain things is definitely important. Also rest is really important I have recently learnt that a lot of the time we give ourself rest as a reward for hard work when rest should be something that is prioritised on every to-do list.
What has been key to promoting your platform to ensure it reaches the relevant persons?
Understanding our audience and creating a clear vision for what we stand for has been very important. Also consistency, people can’t buy into a brand that they don’t see all the time, definitely keep up to date with similar platform to you and keeping am eye on shifting trends and topics and how they align with your brand’s vision.
What top tips would you give to readers looking to set up their own business, whilst working a full-time job?
Become organised and be realistic with what you can and cannot do, I think modern society has made it seem like every business idea is bound to succeed from day 1 easily is false but I think understanding how you can effectively manage your time will help in ensuring that you aren’t overwhelmed with the work that needs to be done.
How do you stay motivated to keep doing what you do?
My tribe has been really helpful in upholding me when I am tired and overwhelmed, I think having people who can speak life into you when you just feel like you can’t do it anymore will keep you going. Also prayer has always help, a pep talk with God always helps!
Finally, what is your sassy life saying?
“Stop breaking yourself down into bite sized pieces, stay whole and make them choke.”
ABOUT
Loriane Mbayo is a Masters graduate in Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology from Kings College University focusing on strategic interventions and mental health within the workplace. She is an advocate for the advancement of women in different spaces and diversity and inclusion.
She is currently a Senior HR Assistant at KPMG and runs Woman To Woman, which aims to narrate and amplify the stories of women and empower women in creating and owning their journeys.
